Why are the ’tween and early-teen years so
hard on parents? It’s all in the brain, say medical researchers. Between ages
11 and 14, kids lose a significant portion of cell connections in the part of
the brain that maintains alertness and enables good decision-making. The loss,
say the scientists, is an essential part of growing up: It prunes “unneeded
wiring” to make way for more efficient information-processing in adulthood.

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